Fevered
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: Wayne thought he had written all of the bugs out of the DHI software…but one bug remains, and it's a different kind…now, Finn and his friends are trying to save one another as a new kind of glitch effects their health, and maybe Disney World's as well…
1. Chapter 1: Symptoms

Fevered

Summary: Wayne thought he had written all of the bugs out of the DHI software…but one bug remains, and it's a different kind…now, Finn and his friends are trying to save one another as a new kind of glitch effects their health, and maybe Disney World's as well…

English Adventure/Friendship Rated: T Chapters: Words:

Chapter 1:

Symptoms

**Pairings: **No major pairings, just your average Finn/Amanda, some Willa/Philby

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Kingdom Keepers, because if I did, I would hold Disney hostage until they turned the books into movies. XD! Leave a review! (This is right after the second book-I haven't read the third yet.)

Finn headed towards Cinderella Castle, which looked especially magical in the moonlight, the pearly blue surface seeming to glow even brighter then usual, which cheered him up in a way. He smiled slightly, deciding that crossing over at night (though it almost killed him and got him into trouble at home) had to be the best part of his life. Finn heard someone call his name behind him, and he turned, seeing Philby near the end of a street, waving wildly, his bright red hair quite noticeable in the night. Shaking his head good-naturedly at him, he jogged across the cobble stones, realizing that Willa and Maybeck had already crossed over as well.

"Great to see ya!" Philby exclaimed brightly in his British accent, getting less excited nods from Willa and Maybeck, considering Maybeck looked tired, like crossing over took a lot out of him. After Philby took a step back, Willa linked her arm with his, shooting him a quick smile. They were both wearing cotton T-shirts and shorts, while Finn and Maybeck wore oversized shirts and pajama pants. Finn was yet to accommodate to Willa and Philby's new relationship, which they were taking slow, but had already held hands last night. He had been suspecting something since they both were inflicted with Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, and his suspicions were correct.

"Hey guys!" called Charlene's slightly tinny, electronic voice from behind them, the agile blond running to meet the four DHIs, wearing a long, cotton nightgown. She seemed more energetic then the others, no surprise since she always seemed to have enough energy to battle some Disney villain, then look perfect for cheerleading practice. "My mom keeps putting me to bed, so I had to wear the nightgown again."

When no one answered, or gave her as much as a sideways glance, Charlene crossed her arms, sighing obviously, finally gaining Finn's attention. "Do you want to go ahead and cross over, because none of you look conscious at the moment?" she asked, using a rare sarcastic tone. Maybeck mouthed a word that made Charlene gasp, but Finn and Willa just rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Do you guys want to go back to bed?" Philby repeated in a more serious voice, cut off by Wayne, who was walking over to them, holding the infamous black remote. He seemed older then before, with more wrinkles then last night, white hair seeming to glow in the moonlight.

"Not quite yet," Wayne announced, gathering their attention, motioning for them to follow him into a nearby souvenir shop, closing the door behind them. He held up the black remote, and Finn held his breath, in case Wayne was about to send them back into their sleeping bodies. "I have some unfortunate news," Wayne admitted, cutting to the chase, as the five exchanged concerned glances, "I've found another glitch in the software."

"Another Sleeping Beauty Syndrome bug?" Philby asked begrudgingly, his question laced with similarly grim expressions from Willa and Maybeck, all three having been stuck between their DHI.

"Not quite. You see, when we designed the DHI software, I made sure the system would never interfere with your human form. Now, we're finding that some of the information may be overwriting the DHIs, and trying to invade your own bodies in bed," Wayne explained, as they tried to grasp the logic in his explanation. When he saw their worried faces, he quickly shook his head at them, continuing. "Don't worry, the chances are slim that the glitch will really invade your bodies, I'll talk to you again if the situation is serious."

"And nothing from the Overtakers?" Finn quickly asked, more concerned about Maleficent's or Chernabog's latest plans then what _might _happen to his DHI. He was relieved when Wayne shook his head once more, glad that the villains were kept tamed-for now-especially after Jez had been involved with their plans.

"Everyone want to go back now?" Wayne finally inquired after a few moments of silence, holding up the black remote for everyone to see. For the past few nights, with little going on around the parks, they had been switching back to their bodies earlier, yet he still felt pretty tired. Maybe it was from his algebra exam prior to coming home, math always found a way to exhaust him.

"Definitely," Maybeck spoke, basically speaking for everyone, who were all tired, except for Charlene, who was more energetic after drinking Gatorade to keep her lively for cheerleading practice. To everyone's relief, Wayne pressed the red button, and sent them back into their own bodies, ready for a long night of sleep.

0o0

"Wow, you look tired," were the first words out of Amanda's mouth when Finn arrived at his high school, the tall tan girl standing by the bike racks, scrutinizing him with her exotic eyes. He shot her a dark look that was only half as menacing as he attempted, which left Amanda to laugh; even Finn had to crack a smile. "Jess didn't sleep last night either," she admitted to soften her first remark, earning a surprised double-take from Finn. "Did Wayne tell you guys anything?"

"He said there might be another glitch in our software," Finn started cautiously, still trying to get used to Jez's real name (Jessica) and wondering if she was linked to the DHI world. Jess and Amanda were "sisters" who lived by themselves, not to mention had amazing powers. They were nicknamed "Fairalies" a clever reference to being "fairly human" and had saved Finn a few times.

Amanda squinted at the bright sun for a moment, as students filtered around them, some looking back at Finn, probably recognizing him from Disney World. "Jess might've had something in her diary," she started slowly, "I think she had a drawing of your logo, only with broken letters. I don't know if it means anything to you, but it kind of sounds like the DHI systems are going to break down, if you look at it Jess's way."

Finn considered her theory a moment, his mind going back to Jess and her amazing power to dream in the future, another feat that often kept him and the others safe-though it also put her life in jeopardy. "I still don't see how it's linked to why I'm so tired," he finally said, rubbing at his eyes, suppressing a yawn.

Amanda shrugged, the two of them starting to walk into the school, risking being late for their first block. "Maybe the broken letters are a sign of a glitch-who knows, Wayne can overreact sometimes, maybe you'll just feel run down for a little while until they can repair your system. Don't worry about it, try to get as much sleep as possible, and study for Algebra!" she called over her shoulder, jogging towards science.

"Sure!" Finn called back, a smile playing on his lips, before dodging Mrs. Evington to slide into his seat in language arts, thinking about Amanda and Jess and Wayne and Algebra and DHIs and sleeping and glitches and…

Finn's head fell to his desk and he fell asleep in class.

0o0

"Ready?" Charlene yelled to the bleachers, smiling widely, her long blond hair pulled back with an elastic, wearing her yellow and blue cheerleading uniform. Most of the girls were more focused on the football players sweating on the field, while the boys immediately looked at the cheerleaders. Charlene loved football games, she loved performing daring flips, knowing that she'd be caught as she spun down to the field. The smell of grass, the buzz of the scoreboard, the faces of cheering fans blurring as she cart wheeled in front of the bleachers. "Okay!"

The other cheerleaders-Mindy, Lily, and Tracey-smiled along with her, chanting one of their cheers, as Charlene climbed onto Mindy's hands, also supported by Tracey, forming a human pyramid. Tingling with excitement, she leapt into the air, flipping as she arrived in Lily's arms, hearing one of the coaches blow a whistle.

Suddenly, everything was blurring: sights, sounds, even the sensation of Lily's cool hands brushing the flesh on her bare arms, she was losing hold of reality. The world seemed to be spinning beneath her, as Charlene collapsed onto the grassy field, half-expecting to fall unconscious. But she never did.

Instead, Charlene found herself falling asleep.

0o0

Willa fidgeted with the peeling plastic on her binder, looking over at her science project-a model of the ocean-sitting on the edge of her desk. She felt a little nervous about presenting in front of the entire class; even though she was one of the smartest students, Willa hated talking in front of her peers. They whispered comments under their breath, snickered when a person stuttered, and just…stared.

"Isabella DeAngelo?"

Already, someone laughed at her real name, and, cheeks burning, Willa carried her diagram to the front of the room, looking over at the others, her palms going clammy, licking her lips. "Uh, my-my project is on our world's oceans, and…and what could happen if we don't start recycling. We're poll-lluting our waters…" To her dread, Willa was stuttering, hearing snickers rising from her classmates, not even shushed by her teacher. Tears of embarrassment threatened to blur her chocolaty eyes, but Willa found that the blurring wasn't just from the tears.

Suddenly, she lost all feeling of her surroundings, the laughter, her stuttering, the sweat trickling down her forehead. Willa didn't know why; she feared she was about to fall unconscious, until another feeling overtook her, this one more familiar.

Willa fell asleep.

0o0

Philby's brain was in total overload by now, as his fingers flew over the keyboard, practically a blur as numbers filled the blue box onscreen, trying to overwrite the virus that threatened to erase his hard drive. If he was careless, and let his information be erased, he would fail computer class, which was his best subject: he couldn't lose to a virus, he had to fight harder.

Suddenly, the word "ERROR" flashed onscreen, over the blue box, and Philby jumped out of his chair without thinking about it, smashing down on the keyboard with his fist. "NO!" he screamed, gaining the attention of every student in the classroom, except for the teacher, who was asleep at his desk. Philby, ears turning the same color of his fiery hair, sank back to his chair, feeling tears brimming in his eyes at the thought of failing.

"Hey, computer geek, you might need this!" some kid called, chucking a storage chip in Philby's direction, the small piece of computer hardware colliding with his forehead. He hadn't counted on the hit hurting, but suddenly, Philby felt dizzy, like the room was spinning. The girl next to him-also a redhead, named Jessica-gasped, right after he realized he was on the floor. Jessica yelled at the kid who threw the chip, but Philby was losing awareness of his surroundings quickly, the sights, the sounds.

On the floor in computer class, Philby fell asleep.

0o0

"Hey, up for basketball?" asked a girl standing by the basketball goal, shaking her dark brown curls, catching Maybeck's attention, knowing that he couldn't resist a good game of basketball. With his height advantage, the win was in his favor, but the brunette looked small and agile enough to pull some sweet moves. "Oh, by the way, name's Evelyn, us Brownies got to stick together." She was also an African-American; most stuck with each at the school.

"Sure," Maybeck agreed, stepping onto the court, where Evelyn was dribbling, quickly side-stepping him and making a basket. She grinned, bouncing the ball like a hummingbird would, earning a slight twitch of the lips from Maybeck, which counted as a smile. "No fair, I wasn't ready yet." He stole the ball, and made a basket, and soon, they were engaged in a heavy game, often tying.

One of Evelyn's long-shots went wild, which Maybeck was unable to avoid, his dreadlocks actually providing a sort of cushion from the collision. He blinked, finding that everything was blurring, like a painting left in the rain, his ears ringing uncontrollably. He heard Evelyn gasp, but soon her voice was muffled, as he fell to the blacktop surface, thinking he was about to fall unconscious. But he didn't.

Out on the blacktop, Maybeck fell asleep.

**What do you think? Only the first chapter, and I know the scenes when they're at school are REALLY repetitive, so…yeah. Plus, I know some of my information my sound weird, I'm just trying to keep my story original. But, be honest, I want to do Kingdom Keepers justice. =) LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2: Fatiuge

Chapter 2:

Fatigue

**I'm back! Thanks for all of your positive feedback, I just love writing for Kingdom Keepers, and I'm glad you guys were excited about the first chapter. In my mind, it was a little short, and I swear this one will be longer, and probably more excited. 'Kay? All right, leave a review! (Oh, in my story, Wayne didn't disappear at the end of the second book.)**

When Finn opened his eyes, he expected Mrs. Evington to be in his face, yelling at him for falling asleep in class, and sentencing him to detention. Instead, he was…where was he? There didn't seem to be any floors, or walls, just endless blue space, with nothing blocking his path, only the faint buzz of electricity, seeming to come from him. Finn looked down at his translucent, glowing arm, fear washing over him: Was he stuck like Maybeck, or Philby had been? Did going to sleep in class mean he was trapped in his DHI form during the day?

"Finn!" came someone's tearful, tinny voice, who Finn recognizing as Charlene, the blond wearing a tight blue and yellow cheerleading outfit, bouncing across what should've been the floor, but didn't look very solid. She nearly crashed into him, only to stop herself right before she did, dusting off her skirt and tightening her ponytail. "Oh my God, I fell asleep after falling on the field, why am I a DHI?"

"I haven't a clue, I fell asleep in class," Finn murmured, looking around for something, someone else, something other then the endless blue space, that reminded him distinctly of a computer background. There was a short electronic scream, as Willa crossed over, looking dazed, her chocolaty curls spread everywhere. "Hey, Willa! Did you fall asleep too?"

"While presenting my science project, nonetheless," Willa muttered ruefully, getting to her feet to adjust her slipping blouse, scrutinizing the blue area. "This isn't SBS," she announced, "if we were having SBS, then we wouldn't be able to see each other, we'd be dreaming about what was going on around us. We _are _in our DHI form," she admitted, observing her glowing hand, "but…just how?"

"Where's Wayne?" Philby suddenly asked, crossing over when no one was looking, hearing Willa's conformations that they were experiencing Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. He decided to be a good boyfriend in the time of trouble, taking Willa's hand, catching a glimpse of her nervous grin. "Usually when bloody weird things happen, he's there to explain what happened."

"Wayne hasn't been around as often," called Maybeck, who had just crossed over, the red pattern of a basketball's surface marking his forehead. He saw Finn looking at the basketball mark, and shrugged, brushing his dreadlocks over the red spot. "Playing basketball before I fell asleep; but really, what the heck is going on around here?" Only Maybeck didn't say "heck."

Before anyone could answer, walls, floors, and a ceiling wavered around them, colors slurring, until Finn realized where they were, his blue computer screen theory right. The five of them were standing in the VMK universe, with no avatar to replace them, only their human forms standing there. Finn blinked, seeing that they were standing in his own room, his account thought to be terminated after VMK closed to the public; that soda machine in the corner didn't lie.

"We're in VMK!" Charlene exclaimed, as if she could read his thoughts, earning a "dumb blond" glance from Maybeck. She looked around, settling on the couch, eyes scanning his dungeon-like room, wondering how the virtual world could allow her to step and sit like a human. "But how in the world are we DHIs, and stuck in VMK?"

Once again, she received shrugs, as Philby inspected the wall, pressing his glowing, light-constructed hand against the stones, finding that his fingers pressed the virtual wall like it was real and like his hand was flesh. Willa also went around, feeling everything in the room, wondering why the five of them crossed over into the VMK.

"Ah, I knew this would work."

Wayne's sudden appearance startled them, as the white-haired man walked into the center of Finn's virtual room, gathering their attention when he held up the black remote again. "You see, the five of you falling asleep was a part of the glitch, as was you being in DHI form; but, I gathered you into VMK so that we could meet as soon as possible. The little glitch I discovered last night is progressing into something worse, and it's affecting Disney World. The five of you cannot fall asleep until we work out the software, or you'll be trapped in your DHI form."

"What do you mean the glitch is affecting Disney World?" Finn asked, thinking about the last time they weren't aloud to fall asleep, which was the same day Willa and Philby did fall asleep, and ended up in comas. He hated to think that he couldn't fall asleep, but usually it had to do with one of the Overtakers on the loose, or trying to rescue Jez-ah, Jess.

"The Overtakers broke out last night, and the good characters are disappearing from rides-work of Chernabog, we're not sure, but more and more good characters aren't there: Aladdin, Peter Pan, even Goofy went missing last night. We fear Disney is danger, and that Maleficent is attempting to break down the firewalls protecting your DHIs, like she's trying to inject the virus into the system. The DHIs went down a few minutes ago, which is why the five of you fell asleep; I'll be able to send you back now, but you can't again."

Lingering silence followed, as question after question filled Finn's mind, overcrowding each other, from not being able to sleep, to the virus in Disney World, to the Overtakers, to if Jez knew anything about this. "So, no sleep," Finn repeated slowly, "why don't we meet in Animal Kingdom tomorrow, to investigate?"

His suggestion was met with nods of agreement, as Finn found himself being the leader, much to his reluctance; sure, he could come up with plans, but he didn't want to be the boss. "All right, I'll bring Amanda with us, and maybe Jez if she can. We'll meet at the Tree of Life at nine-thirty, okay?" Once again, silent agreements. "Wayne-"

Finn's question was cut off by a sudden crackle, like bad transition over a cell phone, as Wayne's body (truly an avatar in the VMK world) began to shimmer, then, without the fanfare, or cloud of smoke, he disappeared. The black remote fell to the ground where the old man had once stood, as Finn dove forward, finding nothing in his clenched hands. "No…Wayne!" he yelled out, turning his head over his shoulder, looking frantically around for any sign of Wayne.

No doubt about it. Wayne was missing.

His heart heavy, Finn picked up the black remote, the usually light device suddenly feeling like it weighed the same as a pound of bricks. "Nine-thirty tomorrow, bring your DS, we'll meet at the Tree of Life," he repeated sullenly, as his friends exchanged depressed glances, the same kind he bored.

Finn clicked the red button.

0o0

"Finn!"

"Meh?"

Surprised by how unconscious he sounded, Finn lifted his head from his desk, looking for the source of the voice, finding that the girl who sat beside him, an African-American named Evelyn Grant, was whispering his name. The teacher had her back turned, giving him the opportunity to wipe the drool from his chin, embarrassed to have a girl wake him up. Evelyn smirked slightly, pulling her dark curls back into a ponytail, but didn't tease him, so Finn directed his eyes towards the board, though he didn't pay attention.

Maleficent and the Overtakers were taking over Disney again, and Wayne disappeared. He felt a little sick at the thought the Walt Disney-known Imagineer was gone now, disappeared from the VMK world like a DHI might be in a dead spot. Now, they couldn't fall asleep, but they're chances of being saved from the virus were slim since Wayne was gone. Already, Finn felt like he could sleep through another three periods; but he couldn't, so he just stared at nouns, verbs, and articles, wondering if Jez knew anything.

0o0

"She had a dream about the parade," Amanda started, as the two sat beneath the tree in their school's courtyard, eating their lunches, although Finn's was abandoned, more focused on what Amanda was going to say. "Jez had a dream last night that the parade was going to go off course, because Maleficent was going to take over the floats. She's planning big things Finn, huge things."

"The five of us are meeting tomorrow at the Animal Kingdom," Finn said, half-reminding himself of the plans he established, "would you and Jez like to come, we could use the help?" In the distance, he could see a group of girls playing basketball on the blacktop, and that one girl, Evelyn, from language art's class.

"Yeah, I'm free," Amanda agreed good-naturedly, propping her chin up with her elbows as she lay on her stomach in the grass, crossing her ankles. "But now I'm worried about the DHI virus, you remember the last time you guys weren't able to sleep. If Wayne disappeared, this could get serious, it could affect your health severely. We definitely need to set up some plan with the others, maybe let you take twenty minute naps."

Finn loved how Amanda was able to worry so much about him and the other DHIs, while she dealt with a future-telling sister that almost always seemed to be in trouble with Maleficent. He smiled in her direction, finding the way the sunlight made her freckles glow absolutely spell-binding. Sometimes, he considered her appearance magic, until he found it cliché, considering she and Jez were Fairlies. "Great ideas."

She smiled, as a basketball rolled in their direction, that girl, Evelyn chasing it with an amazing speed, so fast that her chocolaty legs were a blur, grabbing the ball before either had time to blink. Evelyn flashed him a quick grin, adjusting her purple sweatband, and taking off towards the court, all in about three seconds. "Dang, she's fast, " Finn remarked, expecting Amanda to make a follow-up remark, turning back around when she didn't.

Amanda was squinting at Evelyn, who was speeding around the court, making shot after shot, literally a blur in his eyes. "No one runs that fast…" she finally said, before snapping her fingers, a smile spreading across her tan, nut-colored face. "Wait a minute! That _is _the Evelyn I know, she's a Fairlie, who can run really fast, it's her power. I used to know her, back at the orphanage, because she was great at stealing things."

"Really?" Finn asked curiously, finely taking a bite of his sandwich, chewing it slowly, before returning the sandwich to its plastic bag. "She woke me up in language arts when I fell asleep during the cross over, and Maybeck told me he was playing basketball with a girl who looked just like her when he slept. She doesn't look like a special Fairlie on the outside."

"Remember, it's what's on the inside that counts," Amanda reminded him, winking, before sprinting towards the black top, approaching Evelyn. Finn watched her as Evelyn gasped loudly, even audible from under the tree, the two girls hugging happily. He rolled over on his back, thinking about everything that had happened that day, trying to keep himself awake. The grass was so soft, the sky was so beautiful, the sun was warm…

No, he had to stay awake. Finn pinched the bare flesh of his forearm, before going back to his lunch, wondering how the others were doing with the new knowledge, and if they were being affected by the glitch at all.

0o0

Philby walked out of computer class, relieved that the teacher was giving him an extra two days to revive his crashed hard drive, glancing around nervously at the empty hallways. For a moment, he wished Willa went to his school, just so he'd have someone to hold hands with, to walk down the halls with, just so everyone could see that he had someone that loved him. Already exhausted, Philby hitched his laptop bag onto his other arm, heading for the stairs that would lead him towards the cafeteria.

Suddenly, the exhaustion wasn't just from not sleeping, as Philby found his the bottom of his sneakers slippery, almost toppling over, grasping the railing for dear life. The stairwell spun wildly around him, like a child's top, so dizzy he couldn't even set himself upright. What if he fell asleep like this? The strange feelings were probably his DHI malfunctioning, but he couldn't cross over, not again, he couldn't let Maleficent overpower him, or Willa, or Finn, never again…

"Hang on," someone's voice whispered, a girl's, the kind that can go from sarcastic and lively, to gentle and comforting, as she pulled him up the stairs carefully, even taking care to set his laptop bag against the wall. Philby tried to clear his mind, using the breathing exercise his mother used when she held her yoga classes outside. The girl swore-rather loudly, just like Maybeck did-and began to shake his shoulder, before rubbing his forehead.

Philby blinked harshly, as the ceiling rotated a few times, before coming to a stop, though it still felt like someone was shoving a knife blade through his sinuses, looking up at his savior. A girl with chocolaty skin and cocoa-shaded eyes, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, was now smiling in relief, winking, before running away, faster then a cheetah.

"Wow," was the only word out of his mouth, as Philby collected his stuff, glancing at the spot the strange girl had once stood, wondering how she had ended up in the hallway when there wasn't another door for her to emerge out of. And why did she save him? This was a high school, not many people looked out for one another. Without an answer, Philby rubbed his forehead to relieve the killer headache, and headed down the stairs again, this time holding onto the railing.

**Hmm…so Wayne is gone now? And they can't fall asleep again, or else they'll fall into the permanent coma, just like in the second book. What's with this strange Evelyn girl who keeps appearing during situations, and is she a Fairlie, like Amanda says? And what are Maleficent's big plans? And is the parade safe for the good characters? =0! Leave a review if you want your questions to be answered!**


	3. Chapter 3: Hallucinations

Chapter 3:

Hallucinations

**Thanks to everyone for positive reviews! *Hands out virtual Oreos* All right, this is almost a filler chapter, but not quite, because it deals with Charlene and Willa's home lives, and a new symptom of the virus, hallucinations. (This chapter also explores Jez's abilities, and her diary entries about the parade.) Chapter four will be about them going to the Animal Kingdom, so, sit back, grab a bowl of popcorn, and enjoy!**

Charlene pulled off her pink, ruffly top, carefully placing the shirt in her hamper, before staring at her reflection in the mirror hanging on the back of her closet door. Her long blond hair was out of a ponytail, long and shiny around her shoulders, which were tan with a long stripe of white from wearing a sleeveless shirt in the sun. She pulled on a white tank top and pink shorts to wear that night, not worrying whether they were comfortable or not: she couldn't go to sleep anyway. Besides, even if Charlene was allowed to sleep, she wouldn't be able to, for she feared Wayne's safety. He was so wise and helpful, and the one person who could save them from the DHI virus.

But, as Charlene observed, her face seemed to be the same color as Wayne's hair, snow-white, pallid enough to frighten a ghost away, with dark circles marking the skin under her ice blue eyes. It had only been a day without sleep, and she already looked like a zombie, what would she do about school, looking like…

There she went again, being all self-absorbed, too focused on her appearance to think about anything else. Charlene hated that about herself, especially when everyone dedicated all their time into helping Disney World, while she worried about her hair. No wonder Finn was the leader, he didn't care about his appearance-not just because he was a boy, but because there were bigger things to worry about.

Charlene heaved a shaky sigh of self-hatred before pulling up the bottom of her tank top, revealing the pale skin of her torso. Large purple bruises from her fall on the football field showed up in the mirror, discoloring most of her flesh to be a purplish-black, to her dismay. She gingerly prodded one of the marks, shocked by the amount of pain that came from brushing the bruise, nearly shrieking. No bruise should ever be _this _painful.

As Charlene glanced back at the mirror, she found someone else in her bedroom with her, standing by her desk, one hand over her rose desk chair-Maleficent. Biting back a scream that would wake her parents up, Charlene whirled around, grabbing her hairbrush, the closest, available weapon. Maleficent _seemed _to be there, poised with a volleyball-sized fire sphere, but when Charlene blinked, the villain disappeared.

She collapsed on her bed, breathing heavily, trembling at the thought Maleficent could be hiding anywhere in her bedroom, waiting to strike. Charlene had never been the best fighter, and since she had always fought with someone alongside her, battling Maleficent alone was absolutely terrifying. But why had she seen Maleficent? It hadn't been a bizarre trick of light, the villain had been as vivid as if the real Maleficent was standing there.

The grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight, and Charlene was thankful the next day was Saturday, rolling off of the bed, keeping her hairbrush in hand, in case the real Maleficent showed up. She sat down in her desk chair, logging onto the computer, looking at the bar blinking in the Google search space, hesitating. Finally, Charlene typed in "hallucinations," getting a few strange results.

"This is ridiculous," she finally murmured, putting her hands over her eyes. From her screen, a blue box popped up, along with a short ring, that brought her hands from her eyes, squinting at the logo marking the virtual box. The blue reminded Charlene of what their environment had been after they fell asleep…

Gasping, Charlene clicked the box, opening up VMK, where she was in one of the secret rooms, a place no one could eavesdrop on a conversation. Charlene's avatar appeared, next to Willa's, her character's text box empty.

**angelface: Hey Willa, what's up?**

**willatree: Sorry to bother you Char, but I have to kill time until my brothers fall asleep. Michael is at a party, and he won't be back until one, so I have to stay in my bedroom. How's not sleeping treating you?**

**angelface: I'm tired, but that's not the weirdest thing: I was brushing my hair in the mirror, and I saw Maleficent behind me, clear as the real thing, about to throw a fireball. But, when I turned around she was gone…way too vivid to be my mind playing tricks on me.**

**willatree: Wow…to be honest, I looked out my window earlier, and I could've sworn I saw Chernabog sitting on top of our van. Do you think it's a sign? You know, like Jez has dreams about the future.**

**angelface: I don't know, I'm just kind of freaked out about going to the Animal Kingdom tomorrow…can you keep a secret? I'm kind of afraid about searching for Wayne. Whenever we go on missions like this, terrible things happen, and it's just kind of terrifying. I know I sound like a selfish brat, but it was shocking when we couldn't find you or Philby, when you had SBS. **

**willatree: Now Charlene, you can't beat down on yourself like that, we're all terrified when we go on the missions: all of us are, even Finn and Maybeck. We're only doing this so we can rescue Wayne, we can't go without sleeping for so long…but don't think you're the only one that's afraid. **

**angelface: Thanks for the support…so, let's kill some time again. How are things with you and Philby? Are you two, like, officially going out now?**

**willatree: *Blushes* Well, going out can be defined in multiple ways, but if you're talking about a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, then yes, we went to dinner and the movies three days ago. He's so sweet, I'm so glad I met him. Have you got your eye on anybody?**

**angelface: Not in particular, I'm not interested in any one right now. **

Charlene's message was interrupted when she heard foot steps in the hallway, real ones, not just her imagination with Maleficent again. Seeing that her light was on, she knew she had been caught, and frantically began to type, her heart beating erratically at the thought her mother would put her to bed. Her hairbrush clattered loudly to the floor, to Charlene's dismay, her avatar sprinting towards the virtual door.

**angelface: Ah! Mother in the hallway, have to go, bye!**

Charlene switched off her computer, leapt into bed, but she was too late, her mother stepped into the doorway, looking angry, her hands placed over her hips. "Charlene Turner, it is twelve-thirty in the morning, what on Earth are you doing up at this hour? You get in bed right this minute, or so help me, you will not be allowed to go to the Animal Kingdom with your friends tomorrow."

"But-"

"Now!" her mother cut in, pointing at the pillow, as Charlene laid down reluctantly, rather stiffly, finding her muscles loosening up dangerously, eyelids suddenly heavy. Her mother flipped off the light, but stood at the doorway, waiting for Charlene to fall asleep, which she was about to do, no matter how hard she fought against it. All at once, her body relaxed, her head went limp against the pile of pillows, her eyes shut, and Charlene did the most deadly thing to a person like her.

She fell asleep.

0o0

"Mmm…Jez?"

Amanda rolled over in bed, feeling like a ton of lead, watching as her-almost-sister sat in bed, a flashlight clamped between her teeth, scribbling frantically in her journal. It wasn't every night Jez got up at midnight to write in her diary, which meant she had a future-telling dream, so Amanda climbed out of bed, sleep-walking over to Jez. "Damn, I could've used socks, why is the floor so _cold…_what are you doing?"

Jez's brows were knitted together, the yellow glow of the flashlight illuminating her tanned face, fingers a blur as ink spilt across the page, some in illegible blots, others in slightly comprehendible words. "One of the Keepers has fallen asleep," she suddenly spoke breathlessly, as if she had just ran a mile, looking up at Amanda. "I don't know who, but one of them has fallen asleep, and they're going to get stuck in the SBS." In her diary, one of the parade floats, containing the characters from Sleeping Beauty, took form on the page: only in this sketch, Aurora lay bleeding at Maleficent's feet, the sorceress laughing as fireworks flew behind her.

"What?" Amanda whisper-screamed, half from Jez's prediction, half from the disturbing picture she had drawn, pulling socks from their dresser, tugging them on. "Oh my God, I've got to call them, we have to find out who fell asleep, and fast." She grabbed the phone Philby had given them, a gift so that she and Jez could stay in touch with the other Keepers at all times. Jez didn't protest, only continued to write, occasionally sketching out floats with similar themes: the hero laying at the antagonist's feet.

Amanda's fingers hit the "one" button, her speed-dial to reach Finn's house, instantly regretting calling them at midnight, knowing his parents would be pissed off at her for calling at this hour. There a loud crackle, the muffled voice of Miley Cyrus, and she heard a low moan, followed by a swear. "If this is a telemarketer, I'm not interested!" came a girl's voice, leaving Amanda skeptical, until she remembered Finn's eleven year old sister, Sherri, liked to keep the phone in her room.

"Relax Sherri, it's me, Amanda, can I please speak to Finn?" she asked impatiently, beginning to pace their dark bedroom, the only light coming from streetlamps outside, turning into multi-colored patches on their floor from the stained glass windows. Another moan, and the rustle of sheets, creaks of footsteps, low whispers, followed by another long crackle.

"Amanda?"

"Hey Finn, big news, sorry for calling this late," Amanda sputtered all at once, silently cursing the fact her mouth moved faster then her mind whenever she talked to him. At least she didn't have to apologize for calling so late, she knew that if he was talking to her, he wasn't the one who had fallen asleep. "Jez had a dream that one of the Keepers fell asleep earlier, now she's drawing parade floats where the hero is laying at the feet of the villains. This all has to mean something. Can you get in touch with anyone else?"

"Maybe." Finn's voice sounded slightly slurred, not just from bad connection, but from severe lack of sleep, as the clack of a phone keyboard filled her ears, wondering how he was talking the phone whilst texting. "Can't reach Willa, Philby, Maybeck, or Charlene from texting," he mumbled, the air before the statement strung with a few _dammits _she wouldn't like to repeat. "I'll have to call them…every single one of them is going to kill me for this. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No," Amanda answered firmly, finally sitting back down on her bed, keeping her eyes locked on Jez, who slid her diary back under her pillow, leaning back in bed, like she wanted to fall asleep so she could dream again. "This cannot wait, if one of them gets SBS, we're in _huge _trouble, can't you at least call one of them? Try Philby, he has to have his own phone. Call me as soon as you get some information, 'kay?"

"How 'bout I call you if I actually find out if someone fell asleep?" Finn replied sleepily, and Amanda didn't really feel like arguing, since he was tired, and she was tired, and Jez had already fallen asleep-screw her. "I'm calling Philby right now, I'll call you if I find out…wait a minute, lost train of thought, oh, who fell asleep…" His voice trailed off, and Amanda feared he had fallen asleep, until she heard the sound of a hard slap against skin. "Bah! Okay, I'll call you." The line went dead, and Amanda returned the phone to the dresser, settling back on her bed.

In his bedroom, wincing from the slap he had to give himself to stay awake, Finn dialed the phone again, getting Philby's number, the numbers blurring underneath his fingers. Man, he could use a Mountain Dew right about now, or maybe even a shot of latte, he could not keep slapping himself and slipping ice down the back of his shirt to stay awake.

"Willa, the phone is ringing."

"I have ears," she murmured, stirring next to him, sounding like a zombie, as "The Simpsons" reruns played in front of them. Willa and Philby were splayed on his futon in the living room, his phone ringing loudly beside them. She, personally, was nervous: Willa had never been to a boy's house before, let alone been in the same bed with them, even though this was amazing…they hadn't done anything but watch TV though. "Can you please get it?"

"Fine," Philby murmured begrudgingly, picking up the phone, glancing over at the computer screen, which was still blue from Willa's chat with Charlene earlier. He had been reprogramming his laptop real quick for computer class, and found her chatting with Charlene. Philby thought her lie about her older brothers had been creative, since she was too shy to reveal she was over at a boy's house. "'Ello? Unless there's been murder, I don't give a-oh, Willa's here. Willa, shh, my mother could wake up at any minute…just change it to Fox, they always show 'The Simpsons' at one. Oh, sorry, 'ello? Where's the fire?"

Overwhelmed, Finn was relieved to hear that Philby was awake, as well as Willa, then happy when he saw that Philby was kicking up his game a little, inviting Willa to stay with him and all. "Amanda called me to say that Jez had a dream that one of the Keepers fell asleep, so if it's not me, or you, or Willa, it must be Maybeck or Charlene. I can't risk waking up their parents, so if they're not at the Kingdom tomorrow, we'll have to drop by their houses."

"Bloody brilliant," Philby muttered, half-sarcastic, half-sincere, hanging up without a formal goodbye, tossing the phone onto the counter, sliding back down onto the futon, where Willa was the flipping through the channels. It shocked him how she could hate all current pop-culture (Justin Bieber, Twilight, and Family Guy) but was obsessed with "The Simpsons."

"Good night, Philby," Willa joked, nudging his arm, as he laughed darkly, pecking her cheek, slowly wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Little did they know what tomorrow would bring…

**Cliff-hanger! =O! Charlene fell asleep, Jez is drawing the parade in a horrible new light, and Philby is in the same bed with Willa? =OOOOO! I wonder what tomorrow will bring (more Finn/Amanda for sure, but what else?) Leave a review: please!**


	4. Chapter 4: Bruises

Chapter 4:

Bruises

**I'm back! Yay for positive reviews! Each of you get a free pass to Disney World! All right, now we dive head-first into an adventure in the Animal Kingdom, where Finn, Willa, Philby, Maybeck, Amanda, and Jez are going to meet, without knowing Charlene has fallen asleep! The virus in the DHI system is getting VERY mysterious now: so tired you can't move, being very pale, painful bruises appearing out of nowhere? And what's going to happen NEXT? Read and review! =)**

Around seven-thirty in the morning, Finn rolled out of bed, feeling like a log…not just a log, but maybe a log of lead, or maybe cement. Not sleeping was absolutely shorting out his brain: double vision, memory loss, not to mention he was incredibly jealous of whoever was sleeping in bed right now. Stumbling into the bathroom, Finn decided that he couldn't look that bad-

Yikes, someone call Ghostbusters.

Suppressing a yawn, Finn tugged his wrinkled Mets T-shirt off, shocked by the new, but large, blue bruises on his chest, rimmed with dark purple and black. They were incredibly painful, but he dismissed them, pulling a clean, indigo shirt and cotton shorts. As soon as he was done, his eleven-year-old sister, Sherri, began to bang on the bathroom door, the blaring from her iPod audible from the other side of the locked door. "Yo, Finn, are you decent?"

Rolling his eyes, Finn stepped out to see Sherri with her hands on her hips, long brown hair twisted into some kind of bun that seemed to be the only thing girls her age cared about now. "God, is the Beauty Queen done putting on his mascara?" she teased, closing the door behind her, followed by the sound of rushing water. Sherri could be a pain in the neck sometimes, but other times she was a…pain in the ass.

Which is exactly why he took her pink DS from her magazine-laden bed without permission.

"All right Mom, I'm going to the Animal Kingdom now," Finn started casually as he slunk into the dining room, avoiding eye contact with his mother, grabbing his black DS from the buffet and snitching a piece of toast from the table. His father's BlackBerry landed in his toast-holding hand, nearly throwing off his balance, as Finn looked up to see his mother, hands on hips, in a similar fashion to Sherri.

"If you're going to the Animal Kingdom, I expect you to where your regular disguise, you don't want to be kicked off of your team," his mother began, pointing to the buffet, where his large sunglasses and wide-brimmed baseball cap sat. "And you will be back by seven o'clock, no exceptions, and if you stay for the parade in the Magic Kingdom, you will have to do the dishes tomorrow night. I also expect you to call me every single hour, on the dot, because if you don't, you will come straight home. Understand?"

"Yes Mom," Finn droned obediently, not wanting to complain, knowing that she wouldn't let him go if he objected to any of her rules. The rule about calling every hour might evoke some problems, especially if one of the Overtakers was on his trail, or he was trying to rescue Wayne. He put on the disguise, let his mother hug him, and hopped on his bike, taking off towards Disney World, nearly crashing into Amanda and Jez.

"Hey Finn," Amanda greeted brightly, as Finn blushed slightly, handing her his sister's DS, letting their hands brush slightly, much to Jez's disgust, who wasn't one for romance. "Now, I know you were probably zombie-fied last night when I called you, so here's a quick recap: Jez had a dream where one of the Keepers fell asleep, and she's having visions of the parade going bad tonight."

"I'll have to do the dishes anyway," Finn murmured under his breath, earning a strange sideways glance from Amanda, shaking his head to dismiss her inquiring expression. "Well, we're likely to catch up to Willa and Philby soon, since they were both at his house, so we'll swing by the Crazy Glaze and Charlene's place. They're both down closer to the shore, so we'll bike in that direction."

"Got it chief," Jez cut in, wheeling her bike around valiantly, before pedaling forcefully towards the direction Finn had suggested, her hair flying out from behind her. Amanda gave a simple shrug of indifference, before following her sister, Finn pedaling along next to her, wondering if it was safe to ride a bike through Orlando traffic when you haven't had sleep in two days. The bruises on his chest caused his diaphragm to ache whenever he inhaled or exhaled. And, much to Finn's chagrin (heh, that rhymes, he thought slightly giddily, before shaking it off) the bruises were spreading to his arms, this time lighter, more purplish.

"Hey, Finn!"

He squinted towards the horizon, seeing a flash of brilliant red hair, obviously Philby, as he and Willa pedaled over to them, the two grinning sleepily, both wearing backpacks. "Nice to see you guys," Philby murmured, "I _was _going to murder you for calling so late last night, but I got talked out of it. Your lucky day."

"Only because I wasn't going to be known as 'the girlfriend of the boy who murdered that other boy,'" Willa added, earning a giggle from Amanda and a light blush from Philby. "But have any of you heard anything from Maybeck or Charlene? I chatted with her on VMK last night, just to make sure she was all right, but she had to get off when her mother was in the hallway." Her chocolaty eyes suddenly focused solely on the horizon, seeming to be thinking hard about something. "You don't think she got put to bed-you know, her mother does that a lot."

"Maybe…" Finn pondered her theory, accelerating even further towards the Florida shore, where Charlene's house perched on the beach. He had only been there once, for her birthday celebration, but he remembered her home as large, modern, glass, porcelain, chrome, and, basically, the last place in the world you'd want to be with an uncovered cup of grape juice. "Good idea Willa."

She smiled, and ringed the bell on her bike handlebars, snapping Philby out his near attempt to sneak a moment of sleep (while riding his bike, nonetheless.) The five continued to ride through the crowded streets of Orlando, mid-morning traffic threatening to cut off their direction. Only minutes later, they were on the sidewalk in front of the Crazy Glaze, already jam-packed with young kids and their mothers, painting pieces of pottery.

"Yo!" Maybeck yelled from the front door of the store, waving wildly, as if they already hadn't recognized him from his bobbing dreadlocks. Crossing behind the building, he came riding out on his bike, joining the five. "Hey, how's not sleeping treating everyone?" Maybeck asked casually, oblivious to their stares of shock, configuring who the sleeping Keeper was. "What? Something on my face? I had jelly with my toast, is it, like, on my lips?"

"No, no, someone fell asleep last night!" Finn exclaimed, louder then he expected, ignoring the pedestrians' stares, as Maybeck's eyes widened, a short gasp coming from the girls. "And if it wasn't you, me, Willa, or Philby, it had to be Charlene, we've got to get to her house."

He nodded, and, once again, they took off through the busy streets.

0o0

It was the craziest feeling. Charlene felt like she was dreaming, but everything was a little more solid then real life, with the faintest glow, sort of like the DHI world. She blinked a few times, not fully recognizing where she was: all Charlene knew was that she couldn't move, it felt like she was made of cement, or glue. At least she wasn't tired.

"Ah, one has come." That voice. Immediately, goose bumps appeared on her bare flesh, as chills ran down her spine, the ground beneath her icing over. Charlene knew that Maleficent was speaking, she wanted to run, but she was grounded, her eyelids heavier then stone. A green face appeared hazily, before frozen fingertips brushed her skin, to Charlene's terror, as another face, smaller, more human-like, and chocolaty brown, hovered above her, smiling much like Maleficent.

"Is this one of…them, master?" asked the human, in a dreamy, female voice, as Charlene was lifted from the ground, wishing she could fight the Overtaker, only for her limbs to ache at the attempt to twitch her muscles. She swore that she knew the voice, but of course, not much was realistic now, and she could hardly keep her eyes open long enough to see if this was real life. Colors and sounds slurred, and her mind was working like molasses, and she had the strangest feeling that she was really back in bed.

"Where are her parents?" Jez demanded the empty living room, as if she really expected an answer, standing in the spotless room with her arms crossed, while Finn, Amanda, and Maybeck dashed upstairs to check on Charlene. Willa shrugged, glancing around the snow-white living room, with too many things that could be broken if she even breathed forcefully. "I mean, Jesus, who dumps their kid at a house, when they're incapable of waking up."

"Charlene's parents," Philby answered, sounding a little like Maybeck with dry sarcasm, standing stiffly near the doorway, since he was wearing sneakers, and didn't want to trek dirt on the pure white shag carpet. "I guess they didn't know she was stuck," he added with a little more empathy towards Charlene, since he had been stuck in a similar fashion.

"It's official: SBS gone haywire," Finn called from the top of the stairwell, as Jez threw her hands into the air, shaking her head. "No toldja Jez, this is serious…we're one person short on our mission to the Animal Kingdom, add that to the Wayne situation." He ran his fingers through his hair, heaving a defeated sigh, noticing Jez out of the corner of his eye, watching her turn on the TV. "Jez, this is not the time to use their awesome flat-screen TV."

"Chill, I'm just checking the news," she replied, kicking back, as the others crowded around her to see what the reporters on "Good Morning America" had to offer this morning. Today, Finn noticed, Jez's hair was such a dark color, it looked purple in the sunlight splashing through the large windows.

Robin Roberts smiled at the camera, before beginning the news story, clearing her throat to warn their audience that this was a serious report. "Today, fourteen year old Evelyn Marshal, local Orlando high school student, has gone missing from her home. Authority proclaims it was the work of her stepfather that walked out two years ago, but there has been no evidence so far. If you happen to see her, call your local police station, or contact us. Next up, we have a cat who pulled it's owner out of a fire-"

"Evelyn!" Amanda suddenly screamed, startling Finn to the point that he fell off the arm of the sofa, falling on top of Maybeck, who swore and pushed him off. "Sorry Finn, but what's Evelyn doing on the news? She's a Fairlie, just like me and Jez, and goes to our school, how does a girl like Evelyn get kidnapped?"

"Wait a minute!" Philby spoke suddenly, observing a school picture of Evelyn appearing on screen, so that if someone saw her, they could identify her as the girl who went missing. "She doesn't go to your school-she goes to mine, because the day I fell down the stairs, after a short DHI crash, she pulled me back up. I didn't see her afterwards, but how could she go to your school, and mine?"

"You're both crazy," Maybeck interrupted, shaking his head so that his dreadlocks bounced wildly, "Evelyn goes to my school, I played basketball with her when Wayne brought us to VMK, she's pretty cool; great basketball player." Amanda raised an eyebrow at that last remark, only for him to shoot a rather menacing glare in return, that caused her to divert her eyes.

Willa and Finn exchanged curious shrugs at their reaction to the story, as Jez scrutinized the screen, pausing it so that Evelyn's photograph stared back at them, smiling so widely, it looked like her face might crack. "Do you recognize her, Jez?" Willa asked, wondering why everyone else identified her but her and Finn.

"A dream…" Jez began, a statement that caught everyone's attention, since her visions often led to clues that led them to an answer. "I saw Evelyn in a dream. I used to know her, just like Amanda told you guys, so I knew her when I saw her. She was standing in the dark, and I was standing in the light, and she looked…scared, like she wanted to run away from someone. Suddenly, I saw Wayne, because he had his hands on Evelyn's shoulders, and then, in a flash of green, they were gone."

"All of this has to mean something," Philby began, always the first person to dive into a mystery like this, "for example, why would Evelyn appear in all of our schools at similar times? And why did Jez dream about her?" His fingertips desired for a pad of paper to write out what Jez had told them, for a visual to solve. "Maybe this dream is a clue to finding Wayne. Especially that flash of green light; it can only mean one thing-Maleficent."

Even the word made each shiver at the thought of encountering the witch again, as Jez removed her journal from her pocket, sketching out Evelyn from the picture that remained on the TV screen. "No, it's more then that…Wayne has to be sending me a clue," she whispered, "he has to be."

Sweat broke out on Finn's forehead at the mere idea of Wayne being in danger, or even if this Evelyn character had anything to do with Maleficent. Using his sleeve to mop his brow, he connected the newscast and Jez's dream, getting an idea-like a Professor Philby idea. "What if, and this is going to sound crazy, Maleficent has something to do with Evelyn's appearance?"

"It's possible," Jez remarked, in the kind of voice that was trying to gently tell him that his idea sucked and he was going crazy. But at least it was nice.

There was silence, only filled by the sound of Jez's pencil scratching her journal paper, until Maybeck got to his feet, stretching to his full height. "Okay, as much as I enjoy watching the freakin' beastly flat-screen, don't we have an Imagineer to save, a missing girl to rescue from Maleficent, and a Sleeping Beauty to awaken?"

"Since when is Charlene 'Sleeping Beauty?'" Willa asked, with raised eyebrows, grinning when his voice slipped into a slight stutter, hidden when he coughed loudly. She rubbed at a new bruise on her knee, and smiled at Philby, who seemed to be deep in thought about Jez's dream. To be honest, Willa considered his deep-thinking really cute, when he focused only on one object, occasionally murmuring to himself.

"So, are we off?" Amanda asked, linking her arm around Finn's, just to see him turn bright red, as the others got to their feet, gathering their things. Finn tried to clear his head, half-muddled with the sensation of Amanda right next to him, the other half clouded with worry about Wayne and Evelyn and Maleficent.

"Yeah-let's go."

**Whoo-hoo! All right, fourth chapter, I wrote this really late, and I have a headache, and I can't wait for the next chapter, 'cause it'll be more exciting! =D! Yeah! Leave a review! **


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